Author's Note: Please review.  That is all I ask.  Flames are always welcome, as I know them under a different name: opinions.  Please tell me what you think.  Chapter Seven

They were back in the Core.  He could feel it.  And he wasn't thrilled about being back amongst the Elements.  They had been welcoming enough, yet strangely inhospitable, as if they didn't want a mere mortal polluting their home. 

They looked like women, but they were made or water, wind, fire and earth.  How was that possible?  He put it on his list of things to ask Hermione to ask the Elements.  He sure wasn't going to ask them anymore than necessary. 

The Core flooded with light again, emanating from an unknown source that seemed to be from behind the walls of stone.

Hermione looked around with interest.  "Are you the Elements?" she asked curiously. 

Once again, Natura'ae said, "And who are you to ask questions of us, mortal?"

"I am back with my friends," Ron said, speaking up.  The others, looking up in awe, obviously weren't going to. 

"Ah, yes, I remember you," Aura'ae said.  "You have returned to us.  But for what reason?"

"We need to know how to get to Azkaban," Ron said. 

"Why would you want to go to that dismal place, filled with Death and Soul-Suckers?" Fidelia'ae inquired, sounding truly curious.  "It is not normally a place one would go to willingly."

Ron sighed, not wanting to go into details about the fight between Voldemort, and Harry being The Boy Who Lived and all.

But Hermione had a different answer.  "I love him."

"That is reason enough," Aqua'ae said.  "More than reason enough.   But you, child, come here."  She was pointing at Hermione.  Hermione obeyed, hesitating only slightly.   

"Give me your hands," Aqua'ae commanded, using a tone of voice that suggested no other choice.  Hermione placed her hands in front of her, palms up. 

"Place them in the air, palms facing me."  She did so, and Aqua'ae put her hands next to them, palms touching and fingers spread.  A flash of blue light connected them and Hermione closed her eyes. 

"Open your eyes, child," Aqua'ae said.  "You are my descendent.  You are Water."

"I know," Hermione replied.  "What does that mean?"

Ron turned to Ginny, Draco and Lavender.  "What does that mean?" he mouthed to them.  They shrugged in response.  He turned his attention back to Aqua'ae and Hermione, who were still joined at the hands. 

"You can Summon Water," Aqua'ae explained.  "If you extend your hand, fingers slightly crooked in the way to cast spells, you can Summon water from your soul and it will flow from your fingertips.  And you are powerful enough to raise a finger and drown the world, then toss your hair and restore it.  Remember that."

"But how exactly do I do this?" Hermione asked.

"You must discover that for yourself," Aqua'ae replied, then retreated back into the line of Elements. 

"You need to get to Azkaban, is that correct?" Natura'ae asked.  "But you cannot from here.  I trust you remember that, Ronald Michael Weasley. 

Ron nodded.  "But we still have to get there."

"You will.  Remember that Love will prevail.  You can get there, whatever route you choose.  You may go to the Vast Expanse.  Do you know how to Apparate?"

"I do," Hermione, said, as Draco followed with, "I do too."

"Only the two of you?  Then you must Apparate, while carrying the others.  But you must land in Water, as Azkaban is set on an island and is impenetrable to those trying Apparate or Disapparate."

"Like the Hogwarts grounds," Hermione muttered.

"Hermione, descendent of Water, you must drain the Water that is there quickly, so you may survive.  We send you now to the Vast Expanse.  Go with the magic." 

And they were carried away again, in a whirl of wind.

~*()*~

"I'm not sure I can do this."

"Oh, Hermione, you have to!" Ginny wailed.  "It's our only chance of survival.  And we need to survive if you want to get to Harry."

They were referring to the fact that Hermione didn't feel that she could summon or banish Water.

"I have completely and utterly no idea how, not to mention that I didn't even know it was possible until mere moments ago!"

"Hermione," Ron said.  "Look at me, and let me convince you."  Hermione reluctantly looked up from her hands.

"Hermione Vivian Rebecca Granger, you are a graduated witch from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and an exceptionally good one at that," he said.  "Anything you have ever tried to do, you have accomplished.  As Hagrid once said, '…they haven't invented a spell our Hermione can't do.'  You can do this, I know you can."

Hermione nodded, her eyes tearing.  "But it depends one me," she whispered, her eyes tearing.  "If I don't learn this, we all die."

"Ron nodded.  "That's a risk we are just going to have to be willing to take.  We trust you."

~*()*~

"Professor Dumbledore, sir!  Something is terribly wrong!"

Molly Weasley burst into Albus Dumbledore's office, hair frazzled and eyes wild, handbag swinging dangerously in her hand.

"Molly?  What's wrong?" Dumbledore asked as he looked up from the parchment he was reading.

"They're gone!" she cried.

"Please calm yourself," he said.  "And speak rationally.  What's wrong?  Who's gone?"

Mrs. Weasley sat herself in a chair opposite Dumbledore's desk and took a deep breath.  "All of them," she began.  "Ron and Lavender, Harry and Hermione, Ginny and Draco.  They disappeared after the rehearsal and I haven't seen them since."

"Ah, they went to rescue Harry.  He disappeared at the rehearsal itself, and all five of them went after him.  Apparently Hermione put the Amorae Libertas on Harry during their fifth year here at Hogwarts, and she is using that to get to him.  They will be back soon.  Once they find him, and make sure he is in proper health, they will return to earth."

"I know Hermione put the Amorae on Harry.  I helped her do it.  But what do you mean, 'back to earth'?  Where did they go?  How do you know?"  Mrs. Weasley was beginning to look frazzled again. 

"There were taken off the face of our Earth to get to Harry.  Hermione will find him and do everything in her power to bring him back, I assure you of that."  Mrs. Weasley nodded, somewhat comforted by the aged professor's words.  "They will be fine," he assured her.

Molly Weasley nodded and left, still worried, but trying to remain positive that the six would return home, hopefully all in one piece.        

~*()*~

They stood in a circle, holding hands, trying to make the magic stronger.  If they Apparated together, holding hands, they would stay together.  Hermione and Draco placed spells on each person's hands to make them stay connected with the person's next to theirs.  Finally they were ready.  Everyone took a deep breath. 

"Ready?" Ron asked.  Ginny, Draco and Lavender nodded.  Hermione didn't move.  "Hermione?" he said gently. 

She started, as if coming out of a daze.  "I'm ready," she said determinedly.  "On the count of three.  One…two…three!"

And they disappeared, Draco and Hermione Apparating, all of them putting their trust, their lives, in Hermione's power.

~*()*~

Something felt different.   Harry felt aware of a new presence.  It wasn't near him; it was actually somewhat far away.  But it was there just the same. 

He shook his head.  The small space and lack of food was really getting to him.  He couldn't count the days he had been there; there were no windows in his cell.  And Ariadne had been no help either.  She wasn't allowed out of the building, and couldn't even remember ever seeing the sky. 

The strange new presence grew even more intense, as if it was getting closer.  He closed his eyes, thinking he had cracked at last.

And he slept, dreaming of Hermione. 

~*()*~

They were underwater, drowning in it, it was forcing them under.  And each person was being pulled after the first, because they were connected to each other.     

Hermione needed air, but she couldn't open her mouth.  Water would rush in, killing her.  But her lungs were empty; she needed to fill them with something.  But then she would die, as well as killing everyone else too. 

No, no one would die, a voice argued.  Everyone was counting on her; she was their sole chance of survival.  And she was strong.  She had to drain the water that was surrounding her, get rid of it.  But the only thought she could process was that her lungs were burning, fiery ice.  She was incapable of doing anything.

Finally, she drifted into a strange state, like that milky condition the instant before we wake up.  The one moment we are truly ourselves, one emotion wrapped together in a tear. 

And she imagined the water disappearing.

And it did. 

She had done it.  They fell together to the ground, which had before been the bottom of the ocean.  They collapsed on top of each other, exhausted and breathing the sweet air, as if it were their last breath.